Springboard Blogging & Social Media Conference

If there’s one thing my family knows about me, it’s that I don’t feel any particular compulsion to follow the rules. While the women in my family are overwhelmingly teachers and nurses, I went my own way. I still have the same ethic of giving back to the community, but I just have chosen a different path. It should therefore be of no surprise that after years of attending blogging conferences, I wanted to do one my way. I’m also super lucky to find yet another amazing business partner in Kim from KimWorld.

Our primary goal for Springboard is to create a conference for concrete learning. Inspiration is important, and so is networking, but if I’m going to spend a day or two or three at a conference, I really want to learn something beyond just a random takeaway or two. We also want to create the space for people to get things done AT the conference. One of the things I don’t like about events is coming home with a to-do list a mile long. Our attendees will probably still end up with lists, but they will also have the time and support to check some of it off before they head home. After all, it’s incredibly frustrating to have someone explain how to do something, only to get home and realize that you’ve completely forgotten some of the steps.

Those are some of the big ideas behind Springboard, but there are so many more. Like truly supporting female entrepreneurs without excluding men or “girl-ifying” the sessions. And challenging people to think in bigger/different/radical ways about their blogs, their businesses, and social media in general. And then there’s all of the wonderful possibility of working with sponsors that can go beyond just a traditional expo booth relationship. Of course, Springboard 2012 is just a day (with an optional pre/post-conference), so some of our ideas will start small. That’s Ok, because launching a new endeavor is a lot of work and it can’t all happen overnight.

I hope that if you’re a blogger, you’ll consider joining us for Springboard 2012. It’s not only a launching pad for blogging and social media skills. We hope – and believe – that it’s the start of something new and special. The thing is that the magic is going to come from all of our big, crazy, wonderful ideas merging together. It can’t just be us. We need you, too!